We’re happy to have Sam with us at Solita, and we asked him about…his role as People Lead?
My role involves having responsibility for 10 members of staff whom I meet with on a fortnightly basis. On those occasions, we take stock of what is happening at work and in life. It also means sharing information about what is happening internally within the company and with customers. I’ve been a People Lead for two years and enjoy it very much. I have a coaching approach and enjoy feeling that I can help people develop. I’m happy when my colleagues are doing well and like to encourage them to move forward in their careers.
…the culture at Solita?
What I like most about the culture at Solita is that my colleagues are always there to support me. They’re there when I need them, everyone helps each other, and there’s always someone to turn to. I never feel lonely. In my role as People Lead, I receive excellent support from Solita. For example, we have People Lead Peer Support, a group where we share our challenges, discuss issues, and help each other. There’s no hierarchy at Solita, everyone is really unpretentious. In addition, my colleagues are a bunch of lovely people that I enjoy spending time with. For me, going to work never feels like a chore – I don’t suffer from Sunday anxiety!
…life as a consultant?
What I like most is that it’s varied. I get bored if I have to do the same thing for too long, for me it’s important to evolve. Consultancy makes development faster because you work with different projects, companies, and industries – it gives you a steep development curve. You need to have social skills and understand the diverse needs of customers when you’re working with a customer. Sometimes it’s difficult to understand each other. The biggest challenge as a consultant is often dealing with clients with unrealistic expectations.
…when he is at his best at work?
I’m currently helping a client establish a new integration platform in the cloud to manage communication between their various systems. I like coming in at an early stage of the process, putting the framework in place and building things from scratch, because it gives me control over the end result. I’m at my best when I see that the work I’ve done really contributes to a clear improvement for my customer.